Tulips

Last week I visited the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and captured this beautiful arrangement of tulips outside on the Conservatory grounds. A trip to the conservatory is always great, and spring is one of the best times to visit.

The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, located just 2 miles east of downtown Columbus Ohio has an amazing history that dates back 150 years! The 88 acres of land the Conservatory occupies was originally purchased in 1852 by the Franklin County Agriculture Society as a site for the first Franklin County Fair. 20 years later the land was made the official grounds of the Ohio State Fair, and in 1884 the Ohio Legislature declared the site as Franklin Park and open for public use.

Influenced by Chicago’s World Fair Exposition in 1893, the city of Columbus built a Victorian-style glass greenhouse in the park. The greenhouse opened to the public in 1895 and is known today as the Palm House.

Franklin Park and the Conservatory became the host site for AmeriFlora ’92, a six-month international horticulture exposition. In preparation for the exposition, the historic Palm House was renovated and a $14-million expansion began in 1989 adding 58,000 square feet and included expanded plant collections, classrooms, a library, gift shop, café and administrative offices.

Today the Conservatory is a premier horticultural and educational institution and is a very popular location for family gatherings, weddings, and a variety of events. Needless-to-say it’s a very popular destination for photographers and I’m happy to say that the Conservatory and its staff is very photographer friendly.

To learn more about the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, please visit their website here.

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